Chennai: The Madras High Court today questioned the Tamilnadu government on the action taken to control the price hike of face masks and sanitizers in the State.
For the past two weeks, ever since the outbreak of coronavirus in India, there has been a vigorous campaign across the country to wear facial masks to protect against the coronavirus infection. Doctors have been advising people to wear especially N95 face mask when traveling to hospitals, railway stations, etc.
As a result, the demand for the face masks have increased manifold which resulted in scarcity in all areas. Using this opportunity, some dealers have started selling the masks at a higher price, making more profit along with increasing the prices for hand sanitizers.
Though the Government of Tamilnadu has warned that stringent action will be taken against those who engage in such business, so far no steps have been taken to curb the hike in prices of these essential products
In this scenario, a case was filed in the high court against the increase in prices of facial masks and hand sanitizers and after hearing the case, the High Court today questioned the State government on the actions taken to control the price hike. The court asked the government to respond and adjourned the case.